United States / New York & the Northeast / New Jersey (Edison & Akshardham)

New Jersey (Edison & Akshardham)

BAPS Akshardham and Oak Tree Road

1 dayIdeal stay₹14,270From / night₹3,800Food / dayFreeEntry

Central New Jersey is home to one of the largest Indian communities in the country. BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham at Robbinsville, opened in October 2023, is a vast hand-carved stone mandir in landscaped grounds, free to visit (modest dress; shoulders and knees covered). Oak Tree Road in Edison and Iselin is a mile of Indian sweet shops, thali restaurants, jewellers and grocers, and the Sri Venkateswara Temple at Bridgewater draws South Indian families. Newark Airport, where Air India and United land from India, is half an hour away; New York is an hour by NJ Transit.

Highlights

BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham, Robbinsville
Evening aarti at Akshardham
Oak Tree Road's sweet shops and thali houses
Sri Venkateswara (Balaji) Temple, Bridgewater
Princeton's campus
India Square, Jersey City

Things to do

BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham, RobbinsvilleMorning · 3h
Lunch and shopping on Oak Tree RoadAfternoon · 2h 30m
Sri Venkateswara Temple, BridgewaterAfternoon · 2h
Princeton University campus walkAfternoon · 2h

Tours & tickets

Tours & tickets in New Jersey (Edison & Akshardham)via GetYourGuide Tours & tickets in New Jersey (Edison & Akshardham)via Klook

Tourisma may earn a small commission if you book — it never changes your price.

When to go

Best time: April – June, September – November

Diwali in New York and New Jersey · 8 Nov — Diwali (8 November in 2026) has been a New York City public-school holiday since 2024, with a Diwali celebration in Times Square in the weeks round it; Akshardham at Robbinsville, the Edison and Iselin temples and Houston's mandirs hold Annakut and fireworks. Flights from India are dearest around the holiday.
Navratri garba in New Jersey — Nine nights of garba and dandiya in community halls and huge tents across central New Jersey, some of the largest outside Gujarat; tickets sell out at the popular ones.

Getting there

Fly into New Jersey (Edison & Akshardham) (EWR)

Search flights to EWR from your city ↗

Flights from India

From Delhifrom ₹47,000
From Mumbaifrom ₹47,000
From Bengaluru (1 stop)from ₹45,000
From Chennai (1 stop)from ₹45,000
From Hyderabad (1 stop)from ₹45,000
From Kolkata (1 stop)from ₹47,000

Fly into New York City (JFK), 45 km away

Then: Train · 1h (NJ Transit Northeast Corridor line, Penn Station–Edison)

Search flights to JFK from your city ↗

Flights from India

From Delhifrom ₹47,000
From Mumbai (1 stop)from ₹44,000
From Bengaluru (1 stop)from ₹45,000
From Chennai (1 stop)from ₹45,000
From Hyderabad (1 stop)from ₹45,000
From Kolkata (1 stop)from ₹47,000

Fares from India: one way, per person; typical fares, not live prices.

Entry rules

Your passport

Visa needed before you fly for up to 180 days, about ₹17,590

Fill in the DS-160 visa form online (ceac.state.gov), then pay the US$185 B1/B2 fee (about ₹17,590) and book your biometrics and interview on the US Mission India's appointment site (linked from in.usembassy.gov). The fee is not refunded if the visa is refused.
Book as soon as you decide to travel: in September 2026 the next B1/B2 interview slots were 10-12 months away in Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad; check every centre, as Chennai and Kolkata have sometimes been sooner. Since September 2025 nearly everyone must be interviewed in person, children and over-79s included, and you must apply in India.
No interview is needed only if you are renewing a full-validity B1/B2 that expired less than 12 months ago and you were 18 or older when it was issued; the consulate can still ask you to come in.
When the visa is approved, a US$250 "visa integrity fee" set by a 2025 law may be charged before it is issued (in October 2026 it was unclear whether Indian posts were collecting it). A B1/B2 for Indians is usually valid 10 years, for many visits.
At the US airport, Customs and Border Protection decides how long you may stay (often up to 6 months) and records it in your electronic I-94: check the date at i94.cbp.dhs.gov after landing. Declare food on the customs form.

Carry: Passport valid for your whole stay (6 months beyond it is safest), with the B1/B2 visa in it; DS-160 confirmation page and appointment letter (for the interview); Proof of funds and ties to India: recent bank statements, income-tax returns, an employer's leave letter or business papers; Return ticket and a day-by-day plan, with hotel bookings or an invitation letter from your host in the US; Travel insurance with high medical cover (US hospital costs are very high).

Interview waits in India run to many months and change monthly: check the State Department's visa wait-time page and book before anything non-refundable. The US$250 visa integrity fee may be added at issuance.

Checked 2026-10; confirm with the embassy before you fly.

Also in New York & the Northeast

🗽 New York City · Skyline, Statue of Liberty and Broadway
💦 Niagara Falls (US side) · The Falls from Goat Island and the Maid of the Mist
🦞 Boston · The Freedom Trail, Harvard and MIT
🔔 Philadelphia · Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell
🏛️ Washington, D.C. · The National Mall and Free Smithsonian Museums

Plan a trip to New Jersey (Edison & Akshardham)

Flying in from elsewhere? Start at New Jersey (Edison & Akshardham) (EWR)